Dryer Was Not Spinning – Here Is How I Fixed It

There’s nothing more infuriating having washed your clothes than to find out that your tumble dryer isn’t spinning, leaving you with a pile of wet laundry and no way to get it dry.

If you’ve had this issue before, you’ll know how annoying it can be, not too mention, expensive if you’ve had to call the experts to take a look at it.

Although on occasion, the issue may be severe enough to warrant an expert giving it a once over, or putting it into the shop for a repair, the good news is that 90% of the time, these issues can be resolved by yourself, with little to no cost, quickly from the comfort of your home. Not bad, huh?

Follow our 5 tips below, and you’ll never have to ask yourself why is dryer not spinning?

As we’ll have your dryer spinning and winning in next to no time, leaving you to focus on what really matters, the next bag of laundry that needs doing.

List of the common issues when the dryer won’t spin

• Broken Belt
• Broken Idler Pulley
• Worn Out Drum Roller Or Axle
• Damaged Drum Glide
• Jammed Rear Drum Bearing
• Malfunctioned Motor

A Broken Drive Belt.

Broken drive belts are a common issue in older dryers, or they can occur just through lousy luck, always when it’s least convenient.

This sounds like a complicated issue, but with a little patience and direction, you can fix this issue yourself, with next to no stress or strain.

Really, any abled body person should be able to take care of this issue on their own.

A drive belt rotates the dryers drum; over time, this can wear away and eventually snap.

To replace the drive belt, you will need to find the correct belt for your dryer; this information is easily accessible on our website simply by entering your dryers model number into our repair help search bar.

Once you have the proper belt model, you will need to remove your dryer’s front panel and the front bulkhead to give you access to the innards!

Then simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions for popping the new one in, it’s easy enough.

A broken idler pulley

Idler pulley or tension roller keeps the belt under tension, to prevent drum belt from slip off.

When idler pulley experiencing lack of lubricant, it starts squeaking and eventually pulley will be jammed and brake.

So, if you hear, your dryer was making weird noises and then stop spinning, most likely pulley is broken and needs replacement.

A Worn Out Drum Roller or Axle.

The majority of dryers will have two or more rollers in place, to support the back of the drum.

Some, but not all, will have another two at the front of the drum. If any of the rollers or axles have worn out your dryer won’t spin.

An excellent way to diagnose this is to listen out for a squeaky sound while your dryer is in operation.

If you hear a squeak, it’s almost certainly an issue with the rollers or axle.

It’s good practice to replace all of the rollers and axles at the same time, to ensure that your dryer keeps rolling without issue for many years to come.

A Damaged Drum Glide.

Some dryers have plastic glides in place to support the front of the drum.

If this becomes worn out or damaged, it may cause the drum to get stuck and grind.

This is bad news, as it puts a strain on the drive motor, so it’s something that needs taking care of as quickly as possible.

These are relatively easy to fit, and once you do, your dryer will be as good as new and ready to take the next load of washing.

A Worn Out Drum Bearing.

Some dryers use a rear drum bearing to support the drum. If this becomes worn out or damaged, it’s going to it impede your dryer’s ability to spin.

This is usually an especially noisy issue, making it pretty easy to diagnose, so keep an ear out for that and replace it as soon as possible to avoid any further problems.

A Malfunctioning Drive Motor.

Your dryers drive motor is what makes the drum the spin, and it also operates the blower wheel.

If your blower wheel is free from any blockage, then, unfortunately, your drive motor has failed, and it will need repairing or replacing.

Yeah, we know, it sucks!

This is the most serious of the issues listed here, but it can be replaced quite easily with the right tools and again, a little bit of patience and the right direction.

You can ensure you get the right motor by entering your model number into out easy repair search bar.

Whirlpool Dryer Not Spinning?

One of the most common issues you’re likely to face if you have a Whirlpool dryer is a broken drive belt.

Although Whirpool is one of the most reliable and popular manufacturers on the market, all machines are susceptible to wear and tear over time, and this is an especially common and easy to fix issue with these machines.

This should be the first thing you check if your Whirpool dryer stops spinning.

Maytag Dryer Not Spinning?

Maytag dryers can fall victim to any of the issues detailed above, but over time we do see a propensity for the drum rollers to wear out.

Get these replaced as soon as possible and replace all of them at the same time, to ensure even wear and tear in the future, so you don’t have to keep going back and forth fixing one here, one there, for the rest of your life.

Once you’ve got the new ones installed, your Maytag dryer should give you many, many, happy years of service.

Samsung Dryer Not Spinning?

Samsung makes some of the most digitally advanced and sophistic dryers available on the market; even so, they’re still mechanical beasts and will need servicing and repairing from time to time.

Pay close attention to the drum bearings on your Samsung tumble dryer, as this is a common complaint amongst owners.

These are a doddle to buy and replace, and while you’re there, inspect your drive belt to make sure that’s in good order, too, as this will eventually wear out over time.

If you see any signs of wear and tear, that could be a reliable indicator that it’s on it’s way out and will need replacing shortly.